Hitherto, various kinds of sports or training activities or the like excessively load muscles of the leg region and often cause disorders in this region. In order to prevent such disorders in muscles, or to support the relevant muscles or bones when disorders occur, a taping treatment or so-called supporter has been employed. However, the above mentioned conventional taping method has a problem, for example, applying the taping treatment requires skill etc. Moreover, the taping treatment inhibits the movement of the muscles to prevent excessive contraction. On the other hand, the supporter, worn over the articulation, also restricts the movement of the articulation, and in turn often indirectly inhibits the movement of muscles. Therefore, both the taping treatment and the supporter restrict the function of muscles and do not provide support for the contraction of muscles.
Thus, a leg protection garment having a structure for supporting the specific muscles of the leg by a portion having a strong straining force has been developed (See Publication of Japanese Patent Application (Tokkai Hei) No. 4-343868, (Tokko Hei) No.6-41641, (Tokko Hei) No. 6-51921). These leg protection garments: can be put on easily and adequately by ordinary people; provide a comfortable fit without being painful to a user; have no hygienic problems such as itchy skin due to it becoming stuff; and furthermore support the muscle contraction and help the extended muscle easily recover, thus being effective for reducing muscle fatigue during exercise and exhibiting the effect of promoting the prevention or treatment of specific disorders etc. of the leg.
Moreover, the leg protection garment described in the above mentioned official gazettes support the muscles of the medial, lateral and anterior sides of the femoral region, or the muscle below the patella region. Among such muscles, the musculus quadriceps femoris, for example, functions by flexing the articulatio coxae and extending the articulatio genus. However, the articulatio genus becomes unstable when it is in the extended position, so that an impact can easily cause a rupture of the ligament and a fracture in the vicinity of the articulation. Therefore, by supporting the musculus quadriceps femoris, its function can be strengthened and the above mentioned disorders can be prevented.
However, as mentioned above, the conventional leg protection garment supports only the medial, lateral and anterior sides of the femoral region, but does not support the hamstrings, i.e. the muscles of the posterior side of the femoral region. Herein, the hamstrings means the muscles of the posterior side of the femoral region, namely, the combination of the musculus biceps femoris, the musculus semitendinosus, and the musculus semimembranosus. These muscles are mainly used, for example,: 1 when strongly stepping backward on the ground in running, particularly, in increasing the running speed; 2 when jumping higher in jumping; and 3 when raising up on a bicycle pedal after pushing it downward. These muscles have functions of extending the articulatio coxae and flexing or adducting the articulatio genus. The hamstrings, because of their function, also play important roles in various sports, for example, rugby, soccer, basketball, volley ball, baseball, golf, bicycle racing, bobsledding, etc. For example, in the movement of running quickly after the scrum and break in rugby, if the posterior side of the femur is not used well, it is necessary to switch the stressed place from the anterior side to the posterior side, and so a smooth movement cannot be conducted. Also, the same is true in the play following a rebound while playing basketball. In other words, the musculus extensor of articulatio coxae plays an important role in providing stability of the pelvis in the front and back directions, and is particularly involved in the extension of the extensor muscle of articulatio coxae during normal walking. In sports in which players strike the ground with their feet (running, basketball, volley ball, etc.), if the pelvis position moves upward and downward, power disperses and the subsequent motion cannot be smoothly conducted. Moreover, in some aspects of jumping while playing volley ball, if players can jump without bending the knee deeply, it is advantageous that they can jump by taking the speed of support running. In such a case, it is necessary to jump by mainly using the posterior side of the femur. Furthermore, in bobsledding, the first pushing start is a key to the subsequently attained speed. The muscles used during this first pushing start are hamstrings. Thus, hamstrings have important functions in various kinds of sports. However, it is generally indicated that, in Japanese people, the hamstrings are weaker than the muscles of the anterior side of the femoral region such as the musculus quadriceps femoris, etc.